When the most recent war broke out between Israel and Palestine's leaders in the Gaza Strip, UC Davis Associate Professors Sven-Erik Rose and Mairaj Syed decided to confront the controversial topic head on, facilitating talks on campus and teaching a class on antisemitism and Islamophobia. Students were asked to think critically about the past and to question narratives that use stereotypes to pit people against each other.

A scholar of South Indian religions, Archana Venkatesan explains the deep symbolism and the many meanings of the kamala, or lotus, which are shared by different faith traditions in the subcontinent.